Many Unaware of Their HIV-Positive Status Despite High Rates of Testing

HIV counseling and testing (HCT) is an important entry point for accessing HIV treatment and prevention services. Ideally, HCT should be performed at regular intervals, especially for sexually active individuals living in high-prevalence settings. In a recent (2010) cross-sectional study, researchers assessed HCT uptake and HIV prevalence among 1300 individuals (age, >15) randomly selected from a peri-urban community near Cape Town, South Africa. Field workers visited the homes of these individuals up to five times to encourage them to undergo free HCT through a mobile HIV testing service; 88% eventually accepted.

Overall, 23% of study participants tested positive for HIV infection. Remarkably, 45% of these cases represented new diagnoses, e…